Cardboard cathedral gets consent

Building consent for Christchurch's cardboard cathedral has been approved, with preparation for the structure's foundations to start tomorrow.

The building is a replacement for the earthquake-damaged Christ Church Cathedral.

Cathedral spokesman Craig Dixon said the approval was "fantastic".

"After twelve long months, to know that we are about to build, is fantastic. There are still challenges ahead. In the end, the story of this build will be one of shared effort and generosity by businesses, groups and individuals, together, creating a sign of hope for our city and region," he said.

The building will be funded by insurance money from the old Christ Church Cathedral building.

Dixon said the money was enough to start construction, but he was hoping to receive more funds from fundraising in the future.

"We will need to find more money, but we are confident we will finish the building.

Dixon said the cost of the foundations is far more than originally planned because of new safety requirements.

He estimated the foundations will cost $600,000 instead of the previous estimate of up to $150,000.

The project has received some donations from the public and also from the All Churches Trust in Britain, which donated $100,000.